


Instant Classic

by almostvirginia



Series: The Adventures of Farm Boy & Dr. Boyfriend [2]
Category: Stardew Valley (Video Game)
Genre: Established Relationship, Family Fluff, Holidays, M/M, Movie Night, Reminiscing, Short & Sweet, Slice of Life, happy crying, parenting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-02
Updated: 2021-01-02
Packaged: 2021-03-12 09:48:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,761
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28508448
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/almostvirginia/pseuds/almostvirginia
Summary: A few weeks before Winter Star, Charlie and Harvey take the kids to the movies. With somewhat mixed results.
Relationships: Harvey/Male Player (Stardew Valley)
Series: The Adventures of Farm Boy & Dr. Boyfriend [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1806454
Comments: 7
Kudos: 43





	Instant Classic

**Author's Note:**

> Well, hi there! It's been a while, hasn't it? I've been working on a longer piece, but I've run into some writer's block, so I thought I'd jot down a quick happy check-in with the farm family. This takes place when Simon is ten and Amelia is six.
> 
> A quick note: this contains minor spoilers for late 2019's Stardew Valley update (1.4). It's probably nothing you haven't seen in your own game or online by now, but if you haven't, be forewarned!

_ “...And so, the promise of the Winter Star is kept once again.” _

Sitting in the dark as the credits began to roll, sandwiched between Simon on his left and Harvey on his right, Charlie reflected on the phrase  _ beggars can’t be choosers.  _ Once upon a time, he’d believed that; today, he wasn’t so sure. The announcement that a movie theater would be opening in the abandoned JojaMart building had been the most exciting thing to happen to Stardew Valley in years. The revelation that it would be a one-screen theater had been a slight disappointment, but nothing major. But now that one screen was playing host to  _ The Miracle at Coldstar Ranch,  _ and would be for the next six weeks. And there was no way around it: the movie was  _ bad.  _ Warm, fuzzy, trite, melodramatic holiday fluff. Charlie had hardly been able to keep his eyes open.

Still, as a parent, it was important not to poison the well. He twisted in his seat to face Simon, smiling as sunnily as he could manage. “Well?” he asked brightly. “What’d you think?”

Simon’s very ten-year-old eye-roll told him everything he needed to know. “That was  _ baby stuff,”  _ he declared, slouching down in his seat. “I wish they were still showing  _ Journey of the Prairie King.” _

“I should never have let Uncle Shane take you to that one,” Charlie said. “You’re totally ruined now. If it doesn’t have explosions in it, you’re not interested.”

“You didn’t like this one either.”

“What makes you say that?”

“You kept checking your watch.” Simon smirked, pushing his hair out of his face (Charlie was itching to cut it, just a little, but Simon wouldn’t let him within a ten-foot radius with the scissors). “You mostly do that when Mayor Lewis is talking.”

Charlie was going to have to be more careful; these kids noticed  _ everything.  _ Filing this mental note away for later, he turned and leaned around Harvey, grinning at Amelia. “What about you, sweet pea? Did you like it?”

Amelia smiled and shrugged, swinging her feet back and forth. They still dangled a good six inches above the floor. Charlie found himself hoping she grew slower than her brother; Simon was alarmingly tall already, and Charlie wasn’t looking forward to being passed up by  _ everyone.  _ “It was good,” she said. “I liked the cows.”

“We have cows at home,” Simon chimed in, popping his head around Charlie. “Aren’t you bored of cows?”

The look of scandal on Amelia’s face was deeply satisfying. “No!” she insisted, scowling. “They’re the  _ cutest.  _ Right, Daddy?”

“Of course they are,” Charlie said loyally. Simon flopped back into his seat, apparently giving them up as a lost cause, and Charlie dropped a hand on Harvey’s knee. “That was a long ninety minutes, huh, darlin’?”

Charlie had been so focused on the kids, he hadn’t looked at Harvey right away. But the silence went on just a beat too long, and he glanced up, curious. Harvey stared straight ahead at the screen, his mouth oddly set, his jaw tight. Charlie watched him, wondering what in the world was going on, and then Harvey let out a telltale sound: a  _ sniffle. _

“V,” he asked incredulously, “are you  _ crying?” _

“No!” Harvey insisted, in a voice thick with tears. Charlie had to bite his lip to keep from bursting out laughing, even as his heart melted into a puddle.  _ My sweet, gentle husband, _ he thought, squeezing Harvey’s knee affectionately.  _ He’s too pure for this world. _

“Papa, why are you sad?” Amelia asked, scrambling up onto her knees to get a closer look. Simon was back to staring too, his jaw hanging open. Harvey gave Amelia a quick, watery smile, shaking his head.

“I’m not sad, honey. It was a nice movie. Sometimes grown-ups cry when nice things happen, too.”

“Oh.” Amelia mulled this over, clearly befuddled once again by the mysterious ways of adults. Simon sighed impatiently.

“It’s not  _ real,  _ Papa,” he said, in the tone he usually employed to explain things to Amelia. Charlie felt his own shoulders shaking with the effort not to laugh. “That stuff didn’t really happen. It’s just a story.”

“Thank you, Sy. I understand.”

“No, Simon brings up a good point,” Charlie said, grinning. “Are we all clear on that? We can talk about real versus pretend again, if we need to.”

“I can teach you!” Amelia exclaimed helpfully.

_ “Thank _ you all, really. I appreciate it,” Harvey said, giving Charlie a long side-eyed look. “I’m just fine, I promise. How about we go play some games in the lobby, hmm?”

Once they’d gotten the kids settled (and, in Charlie’s opinion, bribed) at the crane machine, he and Harvey retreated to the lurid purple armchairs in the opposite corner. From here, they could keep an eye on Simon and Amelia, and talk without the kids overhearing. Harvey seemed to have composed himself; his eyes and nose were a little red, but he’d stopped sniffling, and his voice was nearly back to normal. Charlie reached over to pick up his hand, fingers intertwined on the armrest of his chair.

“I’m sorry we teased you, darlin’,” he said, in what he hoped was a contrite voice. “You doing okay?”

“Oh, I’m fine. Really. A little embarrassed,” Harvey added, with a self-deprecating chuckle. “But, you know, it had been a few weeks since I gave Simon an excuse to roll his eyes at me. I was probably overdue.”

“He doesn’t really need an excuse these days. I swear that kid thinks he’s seventeen.”

“Mm.”

Harvey still wore a slightly faraway look. Charlie leaned in a little closer, lowering his voice. “Seriously, though, I’m a little surprised. You’re not religious or anything, and that was a pretty hefty plug for the Yoba camp. Why’d it get to you? I’m not making fun of you,” he insisted hastily. “Just curious.”

Harvey ducked his head, cheeks tinting. “It’s silly,” he warned. Charlie shook his head.

“Not to me.”

“Well.” He took a deep breath. “It just kind of reminded me...a little...of our first Winter Star together. When you asked me to move in with you, remember?”

Charlie felt warm all over. “I remember.”

“It’s not the same, of course. But the house was so small back then, just the bedroom and bathroom and kitchen. We didn’t have a whole lot. You were just getting started, and I was as broke as ever. But it was the happiest day of my life.” He broke off, smiling; Charlie just stared at him, transfixed. “Well. The  _ first  _ happiest day of my life. There have been so many more since then. And it just...that day felt like a miracle to me. Even without the magic fruit.” He toyed absently with Charlie’s fingers, tracing his thumb back and forth. “So it wasn’t really about the movie, you see. I was just...reminiscing.”

Charlie opened his mouth to say something, and was mortified when his voice came out as a raspy croak. “V.”

Harvey’s smile turned  _ delighted;  _ he straightened up in his chair as though Winter Star had come early. “Sunflower, are you crying?”

“No,” Charlie managed, as the first tear spilled over. He laughed, wiping his eyes as discreetly as he could, and then Harvey was crowding next to him in the oversized chair and gathering him into a hug. He felt his husband’s bearded cheek press against the top of his head, dropping a kiss there, and Charlie closed his eyes to savor the moment. He felt the same, of course. Even to a non-believer like Charlie, Harvey’s appearance in his life had always seemed miraculous. And he remembered that Winter Star clear as day, piling into Pierre’s old SUV, unpacking Harvey’s books and records, falling into bed with their wine and their dog and their whole future ahead of them. But there was something about Harvey’s words that always made their memories feel new again.

_ “Dad,” _ complained a familiar voice, much closer than expected. He opened his eyes to see Simon, carrying a small potted cactus and looking indignant, and Amelia, her arms wrapped tightly around a pink Junimo plush. “I thought you didn’t even like that movie!”

Harvey burst out laughing, and Charlie joined in, scrubbing his sleeve over his eyes. “You father explained it to me,” he said. “I just didn’t get it before.”

“See? It’s a  _ good  _ movie, Sy,” Amelia insisted, nudging his arm with her plush. “Everybody else likes it.”

Charlie actually would not have gone quite that far, but he wasn’t about to argue. Simon huffed, but didn’t disagree. Amelia had always had more power over him than either of his parents. “Okay. Whatever.”

“It’s still pretty early,” Harvey said, checking his watch as they stood. “What do you guys want to do next? We don’t have to go home right away.”

“Can we get cocoa?” Amelia asked hopefully. Charlie winked at her.

“Oh, that goes without saying. Gus probably already has it ready for us.”

“Um.” Simon’s tone caught Charlie’s attention; his son’s shoulders had crept up minutely around his ears, and his face had gone pink. “Can we maybe...go pick out our Winter Star tree?”

Charlie exchanged a glance with Harvey, fighting back a smile. “Feeling festive, Sy?”

Simon’s blush deepened, and now his neck was in serious danger of disappearing into his shoulders. “Ames liked the movie! And she’s excited to get a tree! Okay?”

“It’s okay if you liked it a little bit, string bean,” Harvey said placatingly. “We won’t tell anybody.”

“I  _ didn’t!” _

“Of course not.” Charlie held open Simon’s coat, just managing not to laugh as his son thrust his arms into the sleeves much more forcefully than necessary. Still feeling a tiny bit weepy, Charlie couldn’t resist pulling him into the briefest of hugs; to his surprise, Simon leaned into it for a long moment before extracting himself with a businesslike sigh. He turned away, but Charlie caught the hint of a smile on his face. “Let’s go find our tree, then. Sounds like a great idea.”

_ “After _ cocoa!” Amelia reminded him, muffled from beneath the scarf Harvey wrapped around her neck. Charlie held out a hand for her, and she took it without hesitation. Looking around at his little family—his daughter’s mittened hand in his, his son already rattling off a list of demands for the ideal tree, his husband’s hand warm and solid at the small of his back—Charlie thought that maybe Harvey had the right idea about the movie, after all.

“You got it, kiddo. Lead the way.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks so much for all your kind words on Through the Worst of the Winter! I know I still have some comments to respond to back there, and I definitely will. To be honest, it's taken me a while because I don't have words to express my gratitude :) I hope you enjoyed this brief little peek back into their lives! I'd hoped to get it out before the holiday season, but it was a hectic time. I might write a few more of these, and I have a longer piece or two in the works. Thank you for sticking with me and I hope you have a wonderful 2021!


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